Has your poor credit been holding you back from getting the things you need? These days, many people have had tough financial challenges that have killed their credit score. Luckily, there are things you can do to improve your score. You can start today after reading these tips for credit restoration.
If you have credit cards with balances that are greater than fifty percent of the maximum, you should pay those down as quickly as possible. It’s best to keep all of your credit cards below the fifty percent mark! If you let your balances get too high, your credit rating will drop significantly. You can either spread your debt out by transferring some of the balance to low interest cards, or better yet, pay off as much as you can.
Try to negotiate with your creditors about the amount of interest you’ll pay on an old debt. It is important to know the terms of your original agreement for the debt you incurred. Usually if you agreed to the terms the terms will be upheld as legal. If you believe the charges are excessive and your debtor will not negotiate down the interest and other additional charges, state laws might provide you with additional avenues to pursue a reduction in these charges. Federal law provides that when you are billed by a collection company the fees and interest cannot exceed the amount of the original debt. Your initial agreement likely included a commitment to pay interest. If you’re going to try taking your creditors to court, make sure you can prove the interest rates they charged were excessively high.
Planning is the first step to repairing your credit. Be totally committed to changing your spending habits. Purchase nothing but the essentials. Consider if a purchase is both essential and affordable, and only purchase it if you can answer “yes” on both counts.
One thing to watch out for when trying to fix your credit is scammers who say that they can get any negative information deleted from your credit, regardless of its accuracy. Negative info stays on your history for seven years! You should know that mistakes and anything incorrect can be removed from your credit report.
Credit Counselor
Before you hire a credit counselor, make sure that you have done your research. Many counselors are honest and helpful, but others may be less interested in actually helping you. There are many scams out there. If you’re smart, you’ll make sure the credit counselor is not a phony first.
Opening an installment account can give quite a boost to your credit score. Make sure you can afford to make the payments and try to maintain a minimum monthly balance. You might see a big improvement in your credit score, if you can handle an installment account responsibly.
If you have been frustrated and felt discouraged about your bad credit score, take these tips and use them to change that. These strategies can aid in stopping your credit score from going down and you will be able to make it go up again.